News stories by IWPR staff
-
23 Nov 2010
Khartoum Under Fire Over IDP Camp Conditions
ICC prosecutors say the situation is further evidence of an ongoing genocide campaign in Darfur. More -
14 Oct 2010
Congolese Mob Justice
Suspected criminals are killed after locals disillusioned with the justice system take the law into their own hands, a pattern of vigilante justice that reflects a profound mistrust of local authorities and the judicial system. More -
2 Nov 2009
South Caucasus Opposition Battles Bias
Governments of across the south Caucasus are largely left with a clear run despite allegations of repression. From IWPR. More -
22 Oct 2009
Saudi Breakthrough
Syrians look for peace and trade with help from Saudi Arabia. From IWPR. More -
18 Sep 2009
Shoe-Thrower’s Release Revives Ethics Dispute
Iraqi journalists still divided over actions of reporter who served prison sentence for insulting Bush, by IWPR-trained reporters. More -
2 Sep 2009
Syria-Iraq Ties Cool Over Bomb Charges
Ambassadors are recalled just as relations between the two countries were improving. From IWPR. More -
31 Aug 2009
Iraq Buys Time for US Troop Pact
A deferred referendum and a timely payment may deflect unease over security deal. From IWPR. More -
16 Jul 2009
Turkmenistan: Local Polls Fail To Inspire
Elections later this month in Turkmenistan look set to be disappointing, leaving voters with few choices outside the status quo, NBCentralAsia observers say. From IWPR. More -
26 Jun 2009
Travel Bans Imposed on Syrian Dissidents
Syrian authorities are introducing restrictions as a form of pressure, say activists, IWPR reports. More -
20 Apr 2009
US Kunduz Account Challenged
Findings suggest that five men killed by US forces in a counter-insurgency operation in Afghanistan had no extremist connections, reporters write for IWPR. More -
5 Mar 2009
Syria Squeezes Private Media
The amount of private media outlets in Syria has grown, along with the pressure they encounter from the ruling government, writes IWPR staff. More -
18 Feb 2009
Kabulis stunned by Taliban raid
Officials warn that insurgents are getting stronger after they strike simultaneously at three government institutions, IWPR-trained journalists report. More -
29 Jan 2009
Lubanga trial a landmark case
The trial of Congolese militia leader Lubanga is the first international case in which use of child soldiers prosecuted as war crime, IWPR reports. More -
12 Dec 2008
Iraq: No consensus on US security pact
Many are unsure what to make of the historic security pact deal signed off on last week, IWPR staff report. More -
5 Nov 2008
Turkmenistan: New policies, little change
The Turkmen leader wants new a ideology to signal a change from his predecessor’s rules, but is he serious about changing the status quo? By IWPR staff. More -
30 Sep 2008
Ties with key Arab nations at historic low
While Syria has recently succeeded in breaking its international isolation through high-level contacts with a series of European countries, relations with several Arab nations remain at an historic low. More -
10 Sep 2008
Syria hopes for a stronger Russia
With an eye to winning more support from Russia, Damascus has enthusiastically backed Moscow as it spars with the international community over the conflict with Georgia, according to Syrian political analysts. More -
3 Jun 2008
Syrian youth break through internet blocks
Using anonymous browsing and internet cafes, young people in Syria are circumventing their country's baffling website bans. More -
21 May 2008
Bush visit won't affect Syria
Bush's recent visit to the Middle East will not have much of an impact on Syria, local analysts say. More -
6 May 2008
Executions could strain Syrian-Saudi relations
The recent executions of three Syrians convicted of drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia may mark a downturn in the already frosty relationship between the two countries, IWPR reports. More -
28 Apr 2008
Kyrgyzstan fast-tracks energy sell-off
Parliament gives away its right to block controversial privatization deals in the electricity industry. More -
28 Apr 2008
Sense of injustice drives women bombers
Experts link recent increase in female suicide bombers to wartime suffering and desire for revenge, IWPR reports from Baghdad. More -
8 Apr 2008
Maliki-Sadr power struggle continues
There is no consensus over who is winning contest for Shia strongholds in Iraq, IWPR reports. More -
5 Mar 2008
Uzbeks prey to modern slave trade
As poverty and unemployment drive an increasing number of workers abroad, many become victims of traffickers who sell them into virtual slavery, reports IWPR. More -
7 Jan 2008
Uzbek leader re-election dismissed as charade
While the regime claims Islam Karimov was endorsed by a thumping 88 percent of voters, critics suspect the alternative candidates did far better than the official figures show. From IWPR. More -
13 Dec 2007
Kyrgyz election: Going through the motions
In the run-up to parliamentary polls, the president's men are pulling out all the stops to make sure they get the result they want. From IWPR. More -
9 Nov 2007
Uzbek election counts for little
Six candidates, five political parties and only one possible winner. From IWPR. More -
2 Nov 2007
Foreign Taliban rile Helmand residents
Afghans in the troubled province say many of the insurgents are not Pashtuns but incomers from other countries who behave in a high-handed and aggressive way towards local civilians. From IWPR. More -
26 Sep 2007
Book: West colluded with Karadzic
Ex-US war crimes envoy rubbishes claim that West allowed major Bosnian Serb suspect to escape. From IWPR. More -
7 Sep 2007
Smuggling thrives in Basra
Rival militias, officials and police are all accused of having a stake in smuggling oil out of Iraq's southern port. From IWPR. More -
4 Sep 2007
Western consortium faces removal from Kashagan Field
The Kazakh government threatens to withdraw the license of a Western consortium developing the country's largest oil field, citing environmental irregularities. From IWPR. More -
14 Aug 2007
Battling for power in Basra
Exerting military clout and carving up lucrative businesses are the order of the day in southern Iraqi politics. More -
13 Aug 2007
Unholy war in Kerbala
A self-made ayatollah with his own army exemplifies the fragmented politics of the main Shia towns - and the inability of government to rein such figures in. From IWPR. More -
23 Jul 2007
Iraqi Shia and Sunni MPs fear US withdrawal
Politicians from both groups warn US pullout would give radicals control. From IWPR. More -
20 Jul 2007
Baghdad militants defy security plan
Recent bolstering of security forces in the capital has done little to quell sectarian violence in some suburbs. From IWPR. More -
21 Jun 2007
Nazarbayev hints at another term
The Kazakh president indicates he may stand for another term in 2012 elections if his health allows him to do the job. More -
14 May 2007
Afghan fury at lethal air strike
Residents of village destroyed by coalition forces say death toll is many times higher than the official figure of 21. From IWPR. More -
23 Apr 2007
Kyrgyz rally ends in disarray
Compromise still possible on constitution, but deep divisions separate the president and the opposition. More -
3 Apr 2007
Red tape marks Kyrgyz-Uzbek border
Travelers complain that bribery and harassment continue unchecked on the frontier, whatever regulations are supposed to be in place. More -
14 Mar 2007
Afghanistan's poppy conundrum
This year's eradication campaign in Helmand seems to be accomplishing little except beefing up support for the Taliban. More -
18 Jan 2007
Radical Islam in Central Asia
A United States intelligence report concludes that the political situation in Central Asia is conducive to the development of radical Islam in the region, and that this makes countries in the region unreliable partners for the US. Political observers in the region have criticized the analysis behind the findings, saying they are based on stereotypes. More -
9 Jan 2007
Transitional jitters in Turkmenistan
The government steps up security in advance of elections for Niyazov’s successor. More -
8 Jan 2007
International justice failing rape victims
Despite significant strides in international law, many sexual violence crimes are going unpunished because of flawed investigations and prosecutions. More -
6 Nov 2006
Gas alliance pursues political goals
A Russian proposal to create an alliance among gas-producing states, including other former Soviet republics and Iran, is politically-driven, say NBCentralAsia analysts, who see little economic foundation for such an arrangement. More -
3 Oct 2006
Tajikistan faces militant threat
How high is the risk of Islamic insurgency to Tajikistan and its neighbors? More -
17 Jul 2006
Everyone is a suspect in Turkmenistan
The president looks for foreign spies, while his own country is under total surveillance. More -
10 Jul 2006
Locusts eat away at Tajik economy
Market prices go up as farmers salvage what they can from the insect invasion. More
